Spiegel 1991

Editor: Isa Genzken’s "Spiegel", from 1991, is a site-specific sculpture constructed of metal. The work stands tall against the background of a low, round building. It almost seems like a minimalist doorway. What materials-based reading can we give this artwork? Curator: We must consider how Genzken uses industrial materials to challenge conventional notions of sculpture. The use of metal in "Spiegel" is deliberate; it's not about aesthetic beauty in the traditional sense, but about drawing attention to the means of production and the societal implications of using these materials. Editor: How so? Curator: Think about the industrial processes required to extract, refine, and shape these materials. Consider the labor involved and the global networks of resource extraction that facilitate art making, a conversation not always visible. Are we consuming the art, the resources or both? What social classes are profiting and exploited, what landscapes are marred for this extraction? Editor: So, it's not just about what it looks like but what it took to make it and how those resources shape lives? Curator: Precisely. By presenting these raw, industrial elements in a refined architectural structure, Genzken forces us to question the boundary between the functional and the artistic. She is showing how industrial capitalism influences, enables, and, yes, pollutes every part of society and the environment. It's a reflection on what’s produced for, in, and as society. Do you see the commentary? Editor: Absolutely, I now see it as a dialogue between the sleek and the manufactured, prompting us to reflect on our consumption. Curator: Yes, it brings commodity into conversation, provoking an awareness. Genzken invites you to reflect on labor, resource distribution, the ethics of materials in art and commodity making at large. It's a heavy topic to carry with a "minimalist doorway", huh?